Former Job Trumps New One in Some Cases

Q. I was recruited away from a job I really loved by a friend who told me I would feel the same way about the new agency, plus I got a 20% increase in pay. I’ve been here two weeks and don’t feel comfortable with the work or the people. I made a mistake. What do you recommend I do in order to get back my old job? -FC

A. If you know for sure you made a mistake and your previous job has not been filled, call your former supervisor immediately. He or she is probably overwhelmed with doing two jobs until your replacement is found so there’s a good chance you could return. Your chances of doing so are better if they made a valiant effort to keep you from leaving. If you didn’t get a counter offer to stay, then your decision to depart may have been mutual. Sometimes you just know that you made the wrong decision, so the best advice is to cut bait early if it’s possible to do so. But make sure you’re not jumping ship for the wrong reasons since you should give yourself enough time to settle into the new job. An earlier post discussed the need to avoid a job hopping label, but this is an entirely different situation. Go for it. Little to lose, except a little pride.